Videos are becoming an increasingly popular and effective form of content on LinkedIn. With video views up more than 50% year-over-year on LinkedIn and boasting the highest share and engagement rate of any content type, videos can be a great way to raise awareness, build your personal brand, and generate leads if done right.
Should you use video on LinkedIn?
The short answer is yes! Here are some key benefits of using video on LinkedIn:
- High engagement: Videos drive 2-3x more engagement than text or image posts on LinkedIn.
- Higher share rate: Videos are shared 20x more than regular posts.
- Brand building: Video allows you to showcase your personality and subject expertise.
- Lead generation: Video viewers are more likely to convert to leads.
- Memorability: People are more likely to remember and take action on video content.
In addition to these benefits, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors video content and displays videos more prominently in the feed. So if your goal is to expand your reach, videos can help you do that.
What types of videos perform best?
Not all videos are created equal when it comes to performance. Here are some of the top performing video styles to focus on:
- Educational videos: How-to videos, explainer videos, and thought leadership content get high engagement.
- Behind-the-scenes: Give viewers a look inside your company, processes, and events.
- Testimonials: Customer and employee testimonials bring authenticity.
- Live videos: Livestreams allow for real-time interaction and connection.
- Animated videos: Motion graphics and animation can make complex topics more digestible.
The common thread is videos that solve a problem, teach something new, or give viewers an insider’s perspective tend to resonate best.
Best practices for video success
Follow these best practices when creating videos for LinkedIn:
- Keep it short: Videos under 3 minutes perform best.
- Optimize title and description for SEO.
- Include a strong opening hook to capture attention quickly.
- Ensure high quality audio and visuals.
- Use on-screen text and graphics to highlight key points.
- Consider repurposing existing video content instead of starting from scratch.
- Promote your videos through other channels like email and social media.
- Analyze performance data to double down on what works.
Ideal video length
The ideal length for a LinkedIn video depends on your goals, but the data shows shorter is generally better:
- Less than 1 minute: Best for teasers, trailers, social shares
- 1-2 minutes: Snacks content, thought leadership, testimonials
- 2-3 minutes: Explainer/how-to videos, interviews, presentations
- 3+ minutes: Can work for webinars, lectures, lanucher events
Segments under 10 minutes have the highest view completion rate, with 59% of viewers watching to the end. The sweet spot for maximizing overall views is 1-2 minute videos.
Video vs. image results
How do videos stack up against images in terms of LinkedIn content performance? Here are some key stats:
Metric | Video | Image |
Engagement | 5x higher | |
Completion rates | 59% | |
Shares | 20x higher |
As you can see, videos substantially outperform images in terms of garnering engagement, being watched to completion, and being shared on LinkedIn.
Video marketing strategy tips
To maximize the impact of your LinkedIn video marketing, incorporate these strategy tips:
- Identify your goals: Views? Leads? Branding? Adjust strategy accordingly.
- Understand your audience: Create content tailored to their needs and interests.
- Experiment with different styles: Try education, testimonials, live video, etc.
- Re-purpose existing assets: Save production time and costs.
- Promote videos: Share on LinkedIn and other channels.
- Measure and analyze: Optimize based on highest performing content.
- Engage with viewers: Respond to comments and likes.
- Post consistently: Aim for 1-2x per week minimum frequency.
Types of videos to avoid
While many types of video content can do well on LinkedIn, there are a few formats that tend to underperform:
- Sales pitches: Viewers tune out promotional content.
- Talking head videos: Static shots lose viewer interest quickly.
- Poor audio/video quality: Invest in proper equipment and production.
- Non-substantive content: Focus on solving viewer problems.
- Repetitive updates: Avoid posting similar videos frequently.
- Long videos: Under 10 minutes is recommended.
- Insensitive topics: Know your audience and align with brand.
By steering clear of overly promotional, boring, low-quality, or lengthly video, you can avoid disengaged audiences.
Leveraging LinkedIn’s built-in video tools
Taking advantage of LinkedIn’s own video offerings can boost your results:
- LinkedIn Live: Livestream to your connections and LinkedIn Pages.
- LinkedIn Videos tab: Display uploaded videos prominently on your profile.
- built-in video recording: Easily record and upload videos on mobile.
- Pre-roll ads: Sponsor video ads to play before Sponsored Content.
- Video Ads: Run in-feed videos and target by interests, location, etc.
Start experimenting with these tools to expand your video reach and impact.
Video marketing mistakes to avoid
Some common video marketing mistakes include:
- Not having a clear goal for each video
- Failing to optimize video metadata for discovery
- Not leveraging built-in LinkedIn video tools
- Neglecting to promote videos beyond LinkedIn
- Not analyzing performance data to refine approach
- Overproducing instead of repurposing existing content
- Creating videos without understanding audience needs
- Posting at inconsistent intervals instead of on a set cadence
Avoid these missteps, and focus on creating optimized, high-quality videos that provide value to your target audience to reap the benefits.
Video marketing checklist
This checklist summarizes the key tasks for effective LinkedIn video marketing:
- Set video marketing goals and KPIs
- Research audience needs and interests
- Determine video styles and formats
- Create production schedule and guardrails
- Leverage built-in LinkedIn video features
- Optimize video metadata for each upload
- Promote videos across email, social media, etc.
- Analyze performance data regularly
- Refine approach based on highest performing content
- Engage consistently with your audience
Following this checklist will help ensure your video marketing strategy is optimized for maximum impact.
Tips for B2B companies
Videos can be highly effective for B2B companies on LinkedIn, especially for educating prospective customers. Here are some B2B video tips:
- Spotlight thought leadership from executives and employees.
- Take viewers behind the scenes with your products and services.
- Explain complex offerings in easy-to-understand explainer videos.
- Promote case studies and client success stories.
- Use employee testimonials to humanize your brand.
- Go live at events and industry conferences.
- Answer frequently asked questions.
B2B brands that showcase expertise, transparency, and customer success build trust and credibility with video content.
Getting started tips
For brands just getting started with LinkedIn video, here are some tips:
- Audit what content assets you already have available for repurposing.
- Invest in proper lighting, audio, and simple editing software.
- Set a consistent posting cadence, starting with 1 video per week.
- Leverage built-in mobile recording and posting features.
- Experiment with video styles and formats to see what resonates.
- Re-use top performing content across platforms.
- Consider working with freelancers or agencies to accelerate production.
The most important thing is to start creating and testing video content consistently to find what works for your brand and audience.
LinkedIn video statistics
Here are some compelling statistics that underscore why video needs to be part of your LinkedIn marketing strategy:
- LinkedIn members are 20x more likely to share a video than any other type of content.
- Video generates 2-3x more engagement than text or image posts.
- Views of Sponsored Video are up more than 50% year-over-year.
- Videos hosted natively on LinkedIn have a 20% higher completion rate than those shared via external links.
- 80% of videos on LinkedIn are watched without sound.
The data makes it clear – video is a highly engaging, shareable format that LinkedIn’s algorithm favors and surfaces prominently in the feed. To maximize views and impact, brands need an effective video strategy.
Conclusion
Video is a high-impact format that can help you build brand awareness, engage your target audience, and generate more leads on LinkedIn. By focusing on value-driven video content tailored to your audience’s needs, leveraging built-in LinkedIn video features, tracking performance data, and optimizing based on what works, you can realize tremendous benefits.
The key is having a strategic approach, embracing testing and iteration, and ensuring video is core to your broader LinkedIn marketing strategy. With video dominating LinkedIn and social media, the time to start experimenting is now.